In the sheng gun method, raw ingredients are added to boiling plain congee. While congee is usually made on the stovetop, it can also be made in a slow cooker or rice cooker. While many who love congee have already experienced the myriad of different variations in recipes, very few understand that there are a variety of cooking techniques involved with varying recipes in order to best bring out the ingredients’ flavors and textures. A special clay pot is used for Teochew clay pot congee, within which uncooked rice is cooked over an open flame. And the solution is to pre-make a good Cantonese congee base ahead of time. To obtain accurate nutritional information for a recipe, use your preferred nutrition calculator to determine nutritional information with the actual ingredients and quantities used. Mild, but revelatory, congee is full of flavors that slowly mesmerize you into an indescribable experience that you won’t be able to forget. Indeed, many rice cookers have a congee setting, which means you … The ratio of the broth to the rice and the length of time you cook it will determine its consistency and texture. While that’s cooking, dice the thousand year-old egg and set it aside. I also tried this method with grains like barley, brown rice, red rice, and black rice, and it works beautifully. Carefully pour the broth and water into the pot. I would be like…hand me some soy sauce and bring it over, along with my $50,000 check! Simmer gently for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes, until the grains have burst open and you have a thick Congee has been an essential part of traditional Chinese food therapy and an iconic health food in China for thousands of years. While we do our best to provide nutritional information as a general guideline to our readers, we are not certified nutritionists, and the values provided should be considered estimates. It's nearly always savory, and it often features strong flavors that don't show up in American breakfasts. The easiest solution is to cook congee with warm water. In a medium pot, bring 7 cups of water to a boil. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes to marinate. Privacy. This does reduce the overall cooking time, though not by much. Browse more videos. Meanwhile, in a medium pot, bring 7 cups of water to a boil. sliced grass carp fish congee in clay pot, 11 Types of Grain for Making Congee (and How to Use Them), 12 Congee Toppings and Accompaniments That Will Blow Your Mind, Pre-soak the rice overnight or for at least 5-6 hours, Crush the rice with your hand before boiling, Stewing the congee for a long period of time (2 hours or longer), Maintain constant low heat level and simmer, Boil the congee together with porcelain/ceramic Chinese soup spoons. Savory congee is further divided between Teochew soaked congee and Teochew clay pot congee. We have since updated it with more information, clearer instructions, and nutrition information. Now you can make delicious congee with slow-cooked flavor from scratch in 20 min? Simmer a small amount of rice in a large amount of water for several hours, and you have congee. Salted vegetables and diced radish are added as ingredients. It is for preventing rice from sitting and sticking to the bottom of the pot and getting burned. Another little tip is that if you have some leftover Chinese food, you can also add them in! The ratio of the broth to the rice and the length of time you cook it will determine its consistency and texture. Born in Shanghai, she arrived in the U.S. at age 16. The rice must be soaked overnight. Teochew congee is divided between plain congee and savory congee. If less adventurous, you can always leave the egg out. Unlike other types of congee, Teochew porridge is cooked very quickly, and the heat is turned off right as the rice starts to swell so that the congee finishes cooking with the leftover heat. will change the nutritional information in any recipe. Another big differentiator between congee and other types of porridge is that Chinese have incorporated their traditional medicine and herbs into their congee recipes for more than 2,500 years! Congee in Hong Kong is typically spiked with various ingredients and some congee has interesting names too. Instead, they are more traditional and are the exact methods being utilized by congee restaurants in China. If you do not have this setting available, press “Cook/Start” button, and come back and check on it after about 45 minutes. We have written about this topic in-depth in 11 Types of Grain for Making Congee (and How to Use Them), in which we introduced the different nutritional benefits, cooking methods, rice to water ratio for each of them, as well as how different types of rice are used in various congee recipes. It’s a dish Chinese can eat endlessly without getting tired of. Other types of rice for congee include brown rice, millet (not really a type of rice though), glutinous rice (also called sticky rice), and black rice. And for people who grew up eating this congee, nostalgic for authentic Cantonese flavors, this one is a big welcome home with minimal effort, from me to you! This creates a smooth congee broth and plump grains of rice, with a consistency that is more rice than broth. One of the traditional congee cooking methods entails boiling rice and other congee ingredients together for one to two hours. Periodically check and stir the congee. How to Make Jook - Chinese Rice Porridge (粥) Congee Fast! Add the frozen rice (no need to defrost) and bring it to a boil again, stirring the rice to prevent sticking. Report. this is a great morning dish will try this for sure thank you and fast. It’s important to stir from the bottom to prevent sticking, as the rice texture thickens quickly. To make japonica rice congee, we recommend 1 cup of rice to 12 cups of water. Stewing methods are usually employed in commercial kitchens, but they can also be used at home, adding broths and other ingredients to make congee. We also dive further into this topic in our Congee with Chinese Medicine and Herbs section, alongside 12 recipes. Sprinkle salt, white pepper and shredded ginger shreds. Tap here to receive our FREE top 25 recipe book! In our Congee section, we usually indicate the specific amount of water and rice ratio for each of our recipes. It takes only about 15 minutes from start to finish to cook a pot of soft, creamy congee. Serve piping hot with chopped scallions and cilantro. The only thing when it comes to rice cooker congee is the water to rice ratio, and this is a very tricky question as different people have very different preferences when it comes to thickness, and different rice cookers vary as well. While this newfound cooking technique is a game changer, the actual recipe––congee with pork and thousand year old egg––has a long history as a favorite Cantonese comfort food. Judy is the mom of The Woks of Life family. Enjoy! Congee is usually made by boiling rice in a lot of water for a very long time. Stir and simmer for another 5 minutes or so. The common misconception is that people often think congee is a branch of Chinese rice porridge. My conclusion was that the congee did not cook to the right consistency in 15 minutes, but 20 minutes was the perfect amount of time to reach the texture you see in our pictures. There are four main tips when it comes to making congee fast: Pre-soak the rice; Make a congee base; Use warm or hot water; Make congee with cooked rice; We usually instruct our readers to soak the rice grains for at least 2 hours or more. Now I always keep a bag of washed rice in my freezer. Take care to ensure that the heat is constant. Westerners have certain ideas about breakfast foodsnamely, toast, cereal, pancakes, donuts, and, of course, eggs. Marinate the pork with the cornstarch, oyster sauce, and vegetable oil for about 15 to 20 minutes. Classic Teochew clay pot congee dishes include sliced grass carp fish congee in clay pot, pork bone congee in clay pot, prawn clay pot congee, and crab clay pot congee. 4. I’m not talking about using an Instant Pot or pressure cooker either. Cook the rice in the broth. With some congee toppings and accompaniments, silky plain rice congee produces a uniquely soothing experience. Various online calculators also provide different results, depending on their sources. I also tried this method with grains like barley. This comes down to the right water to rice ratio (approximately 1:8) and the tips mentioned above in #1 How to Make Congee Smooth and #3 How to Make Congee Creamy. Plain congee or plain rice porridge is a staple food across China and many East Asian countries. Congee is one of my go-to food when I’m busy. Bring the broth to a boil, … Subscribe for the latest updates on new recipes, and get started with our family's Top 25 Recipe eBook! After putting your rice and water in the cooker, simply close the lid and press “Congee/Porridge” setting on your rice cooker. Stir occasionally so that the rice doesn't clump or stick at the bottom. The cooking time for grains other than white rice is just slightly longer. With a pair of chopsticks or a fork, stir in one direction until well combined. Reduce the heat to a low simmer, and cover and cook for about 15 minutes. At the same time, they are a manifestation of Cantonese people’s attitudes toward food: the details are what really matter in culinary art. In this complete guide, we’ll introduce some basic congee cooking techniques and three advanced level techniques with some extra tips on your frequently asked questions such as water to rice ratio and types of rice. Dedicated to preserving disappearing recipes and traditions, her specialty is all things traditional, from mooncakes to home-style stir-fries. However, one disadvantage of this is that it can cause the nutrients in the rice to break down somewhat. BREAKING NEWS!!! The wings are removed when they are done cooking, the meat shredded and returned to the pot which is garnished with slivered green onions. Gruel, mush, grits, cream of wheat, and oatmeal — they’re all names for porridge. Just like the name suggests, slow cooker congee cooks a lot slower than rice cooker congee, but we find it to be more flavorful (yet nothing compares to the advance cooking techniques introduced below). Time and again, my worldwide web pursuits for solid recipes that I know my family will eat has landed me back here.”. Cantonese are well known for their desserts, specialty bakeries, sweet bubble teas, and dim sum! Add the frozen rice (no need to defrost) and bring it to a boil again, stirring the rice to prevent sticking. After 15 minutes, it’s time to add the julienned ginger, pork, and thousand year-old egg. After 15 minutes, it’s time to add the julienned ginger, pork, and thousand year-old egg. Sprinkle in the salt and stir. So it was definitely worthy of the 15-minute investment to find out. BREAKING NEWS!!! Continue simmering for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Wash the rice, drain, and transfer to a zip-loc bag or freezer-safe container. We suggest you start with an easy chicken or pork congee recipe as these are less delicate ingredients and serve as a good starting point. Subscribe to our email list and be sure to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube! It’s not one specific dish, but a plethora of hundreds of combinations of ingredients complemented by different unique cooking methods. Periodically check and stir the congee. Growing up, I was familiar with cream of wheat and oatmeal. Ie congee, soy sauce egg noodles, steamed noodles with peanut and hoi sin sauce. I don’t know how it earned this name, inspiring equal parts terror and horror. In order to make the best plain congee, texture is key. Because of this, ingredients with intense flavors must be used for the slow-cooked congee method, and they must be able to sustain long periods of cooking. 2. So, even though I’ve titled this “Instant Pot Congee”, don’t pass up this gem of a recipe just because you don’t own a trendy IP. Anyone who has made congee before knows that this statement is verging on lies and deception, but hear me out. We find congee made with uncooked rice to be better, but if you have some leftover rice laying around, this is not a bad idea. Stir and simmer for another 5 minutes or so. The secret is: First put a cup of rice, properly washed in the freezer and refrigerate them to rice icing in the freezer. https://www.theworktop.com/breakfast-brunch-recipes/vegetable-congee To cook congee, just put the frozen rice in boiling water and cook for 10 minutes. 6. Traditional Cantonese congee recipes from Hong Kong often call for japonica rice, which is a short and round grain type. The simple answer is congee is a type of porridge. Once the congee is nearly fully cooked, ingredients like river and sea marine foods, poultry, snake, frog, or turtle is added. The process is exactly the same as making regular congee: add water, bring to boil, and simmer until desired consistency with some occasional stirring in between. FREEZING the rice ahead of time: wash the rice, drain, and put the washed rice in a zip-loc bag (or freezer-safe container). In our article How to Make a Good Cantonese Congee Base, we also dive deeper into the different levels of heat and what each entails. Stir and simmer for another 5 minutes or so. The congee produced using this method has a purer flavor and a softer texture. While smoothness refers to the fine texture of the rice grains, creaminess in congee refers to having silky-textured congee full of lingering flavors. Soaking the rice first can cut down on cooking time, some Cantonese chefs even soak their rice overnight to prepare for their morning batches. Rice cooker: Dump all ingredients (except garnishes) into rice cooker, turn it on and stir occasionally, until congee is smooth The science behind it is that the moisture in the rice freezes, expands, and breaks the rice kernel into tiny pieces to dramatically reduce necessary cooking time. I make a two-ingredient porridge (Recipe: Super simple pumpkin porridge), substitute rice with oats (Recipe: Oatmeal congee with goji berries) and even keep packets of frozen rice in the freezer (Recipe: Congee in ziplock bag).Naturally, I always find interesting ways to make this dish healthier. High heat is used for the entire cooking process for plain congee, which takes about 20 minutes. Then leave it in the freezer for at least 8 hours. There are four main tips when it comes to making congee fast: We usually instruct our readers to soak the rice grains for at least 2 hours or more. While these modern methods rarely achieve the smoothness and creaminess of traditional Cantonese congee, they are incredibly convenient and serve as shortcuts when the cravings come. Serve piping hot with chopped. While we highly suggest putting the seasonings and condiments into the cooker together with uncooked rice, we do not recommend putting other ingredients such as fish, pork or chicken in there. Copyright 2018 © Unfamiliar China Ltd. All rights reserved. Step 1. Breakfast set for under $10 it's affordable and taste great. Don’t prepare this ahead of time, as we want the flavor of freshly cut ginger.